You are off for a fabulous vacation in Europe, but what about your car rental? Will you need to purchase extra insurance? Does your credit card cover you?
By Ariadne Horstman
In the US, often your own car insurance policy covers you when you rent cars, although you should always verify this. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/car-insurance/enough-for-rental-car/ Note that business use of a rental car would not be covered by your personal policy.
Internationally it can be different and it’s hard to get clear answers when you arrive in a foreign country after a lengthy flight where there may be communication issues, long lines, and general exhaustion.
We have often had an easier time with American car rental companies in Europe. With European car rental firms, we encountered more challenging situations in terms of the personnel understanding insurance rules and being able to communicate about them, particularly in different languages.
Often in Europe liability insurance for damage to other vehicles or property is covered by car rental companies (please confirm in each case, however.) However, the cost of repairing your rental car in the case of an accident is still up to you so you still need insurance.
Read more online here: https://www.valuepenguin.com/5-things-know-about-rental-car-insurance-europe
Many credit cards provide car rental coverage in Europe. However, be careful about how you pay for the rental since the name on the card charged must be the name of the primary driver. There also could be additional rules regarding primary cardholder versus additional cardholders which could be spouses or adult children so check all the details to have a stress-free trip. Insurance through your credit card may exclude some countries and luxury cars like BMW, Porsche.
We were told by a car rental agent in France that Costco provides great car rental deals. I did some research and wished we had booked through Costco!
Bottom Line: To avoid stress at the counter, research the insurance issue carefully, preferably in advance, and have all the documents you need when you go to rent the car. In the UK we had snags because we did not have a document on hand proving we had already purchased insurance (through Expedia). Most credit card companies provide a document you can print to show you have insurance.
Lastly remember to check the vehicle before and after and take photos to avoid being charged for damage you did not incur. If you must leave the keys and run for your flight, do so, but you might be better off waiting till the car has been thoroughly checked and signed off. We were surprised to return a vehicle without waiting around and later be charged 250 euros for a missing cigarette lighter that was never there in the first place! Happily, our money was refunded after we disputed the point.
Happy travels!